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Joshua Wong said the decision showed “total contempt for the will of the Hong Kong people”
Hong Kong authorities have disqualified 12 pro-democracy candidates from the upcoming elections, deepening political tensions on Chinese soil.
Opposition lawmakers hoped to win a majority in the Legislative Council (LegCo) in the September poll after Beijing’s imposition of a highly controversial national security law.
Among those excluded are high-profile activists Joshua Wong and Lester Shum.
The government said the candidates were not in a position to run for office.
He said that they could not be considered as complying with the constitutional duty required by the legislators if they:
- advocated, or promoted, the independence of Hong Kong
- requested foreign government intervention in Hong Kong affairs
- voiced “an objection in principle” to the imposition of the national security law by central authorities in Beijing
- he expressed “an intention to exercise the functions of a LegCo member by voting indiscriminately” any legislative proposal put forward by the Hong Kong government, “to compel the government to agree to certain political demands”
In its statement announcing the disqualifications, the government said the decision was made in accordance with Hong Kong’s mini-constitution: the Basic Law.
“It is not about political censorship, restriction of freedom of expression or deprivation of the right to stand for election as some members of the community allege,” he said, adding that more disqualifications cannot be ruled out.
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Joshua Wong, who rose to fame as a teenage activist during the 2014 protests, said the decision showed “a total disregard for the will of the people of Hong Kong” and “tramples on the last pillar of the disappearance of the autonomy of the city”.
The new national security law has been highly controversial in Hong Kong, a former British colony that is now part of China, but received unique freedoms in a deal before the transfer of sovereignty.
The law was widely condemned by western governments, but China says stability needs to be restored in the territory, which was hit by months of pro-democracy protests last year that often turned violent.
Opposition candidates disqualified on Thursday include four incumbent lawmakers, four district councilors, including Shum, and activists Ventus Lau Wing-hong, Gwyneth Ho Kwai-Lam, and Alvin Cheng Kam-mun, in addition to Wong.
The Civic Party, one of the city’s pro-democracy parties with members among the excluded, said the disqualifications “exploited the right of the Hong Kong people to vote,” reports the Reuters news agency.
Its four disqualified members were Alvin Yeung, Dennis Kwok, Kwok Ka-ki, and Cheng Tat-hung.
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The disqualification of candidates comes amid speculation that the government could postpone elections as a result of a resurgence of the coronavirus.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Officer Carrie Lam said on Wednesday that she was on the verge of a “large-scale outbreak” that could lead to the collapse of hospitals.
A highly anticipated move
By Grace Tsoi, BBC World Service, Hong Kong
The massive disqualification of pro-democracy candidates has been widely anticipated after the first precedents in 2016. This was a severe blow after the pro-democracy camp held the primaries, in which more than 600,000 voted, ago just over two weeks. .
Many of the banned candidates are young and support more confrontational tactics to fight for their cause. But it was a surprise that four candidates from the Civic Party, which was founded by a group of lawyers in 2006, were also barred from running. It has been considered a more moderate wing of the democratic movement.
It has been speculated that the government plans to postpone the Legislative Council election for a year amid a new coronavirus outbreak. Critics say the government wants to delay the elections because the pro-Beijing camp will face an impressive defeat like last year’s District Council elections.
On the other hand, the government says that candidates cannot fulfill the duties of legislators if they reject any proposal and compel the government to comply with political demands after securing a majority. So the next question is, will any opposition candidate be allowed to run in the future?
What is LegCo?
The Legislative Council helps to draft and modify the laws of Hong Kong.
It is made up of 70 seats, but only 35 of these seats are voted directly by the public.
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Archive photo of the Legislative Council chamber
Another 30 seats represent “functional groups”: these are voted on by smaller groups representing special interests, mainly business, banking and commerce. Historically, these sectors have been largely pro-Beijing.
The last five seats are comprised of district councilors elected by the public to join LegCo.
This system, where only a proportion of LegCo’s advisers are elected by the public, has been called undemocratic by critics, but supporters of the system say it helps prevent populism and protects Hong Kong’s business interests.
